Ao no Hako 6/10

 Ao no Hako aka Blue Box is a sports/romance anime, those are always fun, especially if the genres are well-balanced, which Ao no Hako managed to do, until the last few episodes, when the love triangle aspect of the story overshadowed everything else.

 

Blue Box is a manga series by Kōji Miura. The series tells the budding love story between badminton player Taiki Inomata and basketball player Chinatsu Kano, who is two years older than him. They go to high school together and end up living together as well, because Chinatsu's parents want to move, but she wants to stay in her school's basketball team. Chinatsu's mom and Taiki's mom are friends, but the kids don't know each other well, plus, Taiki has a crush on Chinatsu. So far, so good. 

 

Regular teenage drama ensues, the two obviously are fond of each other but can't say it out loud. But I like how they encourage each other to be good at their respective sport, to never give up even after losses, and just act like independent people. It's not like Taiki only wants to be good at badminton because he wants to impress Chinatsu or something like that, he's very passionate about his club and wants to be number one. And so does she.

That's my favorite aspect of the story - the drive to be really good at their hobby, to be a pro one day, but also overcoming all the obstacle in their way, since there are many talented kids in Japan who want the same thing as them. I liked Ao no Hako best when it concentrated on sports themes, but the love story is just as important in the anime, which would have been fine, if it weren't for the lazy love triangle aspect. You see, it's not a shounen manga/anime, if there isn't a second girl trying to get with the main boy. In this case, it's his childhood friend Hina (a popular gymnast) who realized that she's in love with Taiki, after he tells her, he's in love with Chinatsu. Ugh. Like the audience doesn't already know how this will end. Just pair Hina up with one of the other male characters. Plus, the guy rejects her way too many times for her to still be so clingy. Get a grip, Hina!

I liked the art, no complaints there, but I bet they cut many sport scenes or kept them very short for budget reasons, but overall the art style is great, and the colors are vibrant. The characters are fine, Chinatsu is a bit rough and clueless (tomboy arc type), Taiki is a bit of an overthinker - but they have chemistry. The side characters (friends/team members) are saving many dull moments in Blue Box and bring in comedic relive as well as guidance for the main characters, because the two alone are a bit frustrating to watch. I'd say, if you like romance anime, this will itch the scratch, but if you are mainly here for sports, there are better options out there.